


Just Once

by mithrel



Category: Night at the Museum (2006 2009)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Internalized Homophobia, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-16
Updated: 2015-05-16
Packaged: 2018-03-30 21:34:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3952582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mithrel/pseuds/mithrel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes place immediately after Battle of the Smithsonian. Both Jedediah and Octavius are shaken up by Jed's brush with death.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Once

They’re leaning against the wall in the Hall of Miniatures, collecting themselves before going back to their respective exhibits. Jed hadn’t really let himself feel the impact of his near-death experience, for all his flippant words to Octavius as the sand poured on him, but now it was starting to sink in.

“Thanks,” he says, staring fixedly ahead of him.

Octavius looks up from polishing his helmet. “Hm?”

“You saved my life back there.” Jed waves a hand in a random direction.

Octavius puts his helmet down and turns to face him, hands loosely clasped behind his back. “I was merely returning the favor.”

“Huh?”

“Had you not set yourself up as a decoy, it would have been I that Kahmenrah caught, and I the one in the hourglass.”

“It’s not the same thing!” Jed says, turning to face him in turn. He hasn’t seen Octavius without his helmet much. He doesn’t want to think of the last time.

As if he heard the thought, Octavius picks his helmet up off the floor, but doesn’t put it on. His hair looks soft and dark in the harsh fluorescent light.

Jed’s hand is in it, massaging through the strands to Octavius’ scalp, before he thinks. Octavius turns a momentarily shocked gaze on him and freezes.

“Jedediah…”

Jed doesn’t know what’s taken hold of him, but he keeps stroking Octavius' hair. After a moment the Roman’s eyes close and he sighs, leaning into the touch.

Reluctantly, Jed takes his hand away, attempting to avoid Octavius’ eyes.

He sees him swallow, then “Can I kiss you?”

Jed takes a step back, shocked.

“Just once,” Octavius says hurriedly, adding a soft “Please? And if you wish we need never speak of it again.”

That bedevilment must still have hold of him, because Jedediah finds himself nodding. “Just once,” he croaks.

Octavius steps toward him and Jedediah almost steps back, but then Octavius leans in and their lips connect. Just lips, nothing more, and it’s…strange. Different from kissing a woman. There’s stubble and the scent of leather and armor polish.

But he finds himself kissing back, just as softly, and then his hand is back in Octavius’ hair and the Roman gasps through his nose and grabs his hip in a bruising grip, but keeps the kiss just as soft, like that grip is all the desperation he’ll let himself.

Jedediah makes an embarrassing shrill noise in the back of his throat, and then Octavius is stepping away, straightening his hair. Before Jedediah can say anything, he breathes “Thank you,” looking straight into Jed’s eyes and he freezes for a moment, and then Octavius clears his throat and picks up his helmet. “We need not speak of this again.”

“Octavius!” Jed calls after him, confused and fluttery in the stomach.

“It is my shame to bear, not yours,” Octavius tosses over his shoulder, and then he’s climbing up to the Roman exhibit, leaving Jed wondering just what the hell that meant.

–

True to his word, Octavius doesn’t say anything about it, and acts just like he always did, but Jedediah finds himself going over all their past interactions, looking for any sign that Octavius was…but he didn’t act like that then and he didn’t now.

And he knows the Romans worship some heathen gods, and he guesses that it isn’t a sin for them the way it’d be for him, but then why had Octavius said that about “shame”?

He finds himself remembering that kiss, how soft it was, like Octavius was afraid of hurting him, or maybe being hurt, of Jed withdrawing his tenuous permission; but that grip on his hip, almost bruising, spoke of something else altogether.

And he finds himself scrutinizing Octavius’ interactions with his fellow soldiers, Ahkmenrah, even Gigantor, looking for…what? He doesn’t know. 

He doesn’t find anything, but then he’d never suspected that Octavius was attracted to _him,_ so how would he know?

–

After two weeks of nearly thinking himself out of his mind, he decides he has to do something.

–

He waits until they’re alone, turning to Octavius and saying “You got a minute?”

“Of course.”

Jed swallows, opens his mouth, clears his throat, tries again. “You remember the night at the Smithsonian?”

Octavius frowns. “More clearly than I would like.”

Jed winces. “I mean…after we came home.”

Now Octavius’ eyes hood and he looks at him suspiciously. “What of it?”

Jedediah sighs. “You _kissed_ me!”

“I thought we agreed not to speak of–“

“No, _you_ decided we wouldn’t, without a by-your-leave!” Jed snaps. “You can’t just spring that on a fella out of nowhere and then pretend it didn’t happen, Octavius!”

It’s the Roman’s turn to sigh, as he straightens his helmet. “No, I suppose not.”

“And what was all that about ‘shame’? I thought you guys bumped boots with whoever took your fancy.”

Octavius’ mouth quirks strangely, and he replies “You were misinformed.”

“So ya’ll don’t have sex with other fellas?”

“It’s more complicated than that.”

“So explain it to me,” Jed says, crossing his arms over his chest.

“A man is permitted to have sex with other men, so long as certain…conditions are met.”

“What conditions? And why would that make kissin’ me wrong? Not that I’m sayin’ it’s right, you understand,” he adds hastily.

“It’s because you’re freeborn.”

Jed feels his brow wrinkling. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“A man is only allowed to have sex with prostitutes, slaves…the _infamia._ Other freeborn are off limits.”

“So, what you can’t get married?” Jed demands.

“No…” Octavius takes his helmet off so he can run his hand through his hair. Jed finds himself distracted by the motion. “We can marry. But with other men…”

“So you can only have sex with someone who’s lower class than you?”Jed says, finally getting it.

“If they are men, yes.”

“Well that’s dumb!”

Octavius just looks at him a moment. “But now you see my problem. We are equals, both freeborn, leaders of our people…”

“Can’t say I do see your problem, actually,” Jed says.

“It’s because I’m not a _pathicus!_ ” Octavius snaps.

Jed blinks. “Say what, now?”

Octavius waves it off.

Jed figures they’ve talked long enough. “Octavius?”

Octavius looks at him, distracted. “Yes?”

Jed grins. “Can I kiss you?”

As Octavius stares at him, he adds “Just once.”

Octavius seems to wrestle with himself for a moment before he breathes “As many times as you wish, Jedediah.”

Jed shakes his head. “Just once.”

Octavius nods, and Jed can see the sadness in his eyes before he steps up and kisses him.

It’s different from last time. Still soft, but they’re pressed against each other, and the scent of leather is stronger. Octavius puts his arms around him to pull him closer, and Jed lets him for a moment before he pulls away.

Octavius leans forward a little before he catches himself and awkwardly straightens his armor.

“Just once,” Jed repeats, and Octavius echoes him, his voice pained.

Jedediah leans toward him again, Octavius’ question swallowed by his lips.

It’s just one kiss. He can find an excuse for a kiss, as long as it only happens once. More than that would mean he’d have to acknowledge this, but he and Octavius haven’t done more than that.

So he’ll kiss him just once, and Octavius will kiss him just once, and maybe someday he’ll touch Octavius once, or Octavius will touch him, but that’s far more than a kiss, so Jed puts it out of his mind in favor of Octavius’ arms around him.

**Author's Note:**

> In Ancient Roman culture, there were many names for a male who takes the receptive role during sex. The term Octavius uses, "pathicus," "was a "blunt" word for a male who was penetrated sexually... [P]athicus specifically denotes an adult male who takes the sexually receptive role. A pathicus was not a 'homosexual' as such. His sexuality was not defined by the gender of the person using him as a receptacle for sex, but rather his desire to be so used." [Wikipedia, "Homosexuality in Ancient Rome."]


End file.
